NOTE: This guide is from a Clash gamemode perspective, which is purely kills. Most, if not all tips, will work in Control, but you must adjust your mindset to include new objectives.

Let’s get started.

Strategical Tips

Take it slow

How do you win? Kills. How do you lose (from your perspective)? Deaths. So first and foremost should be your safety. That means taking things slow and not being a hero, especially in a game like Destiny. Unless you have your super or are confident in your ability to flank correctly in a game with constant radar (which if you are, stop reading and go get your 2.0), rushing into the enemy will get you killed, especially in Destiny. This isn’t CoD. You can’t run around a corner or rush an enemy and 3 shot them with an smg then immediately turn on the other guy. People have more health so people live longer and chances are, bar having heavy weapons or your super, if you run into two enemies, you’ll be lucky if you can kill one. So take the game slow and think about any actions your about to make concerning the enemy. If you have time to plan it out, do so. You won’t every time, but because of the constant radar, you will be able to see enemies coming, so you should have a plan. For the less experienced players, and even for players who go on a losing streak, a really good piece of advice is tostop sprinting. This literally forces you to take it slower which gives you more time to think and plan what you’re going to do. Obviously if you need to rapidly switch positions or retreat, sprint, glide, blink, do whatever you must, but going into battle should be slow and methodical if you’re having trouble.

Stay on your side

Of the map. Look at your radar. In Clash, wherever your allies are, that’s your side. In control, same deal, but you can, most of the time, use the A B and C points to determine that as well. This I noticed was pretty crucial, because again, Destiny isn’t CoD. You will lose 1v2s and as soon as you’re isolated. With no backup and no super/heavy ammo, as soon as enemies see your blip on the radar, you’re probably dead. Staying on your side normally guarantees extra firepower through your teammates and gives you the confidence that you won’t be surrounded any time soon which flows into not being easily flanked.

Be Aware of Terrain

And the map. This comes through just playing and experience. Is there a ledge that you always get stuck on (god bless Bungie and their coding of every pebble)? Something you have trouble getting to with blink? While this might seem minor, I’ve noticed it more in Destiny than other shooters because Bungie really does like to throw around a lot of terrain that varies in level, specifically height level, and you can, and will, get stuck on those while running around. They will get you killed, so learn spots that are semi difficult to traverse and get comfortable traveling along them. Not only will you get around those small hiccups, but you might actually get to use them as escape routes and if someone’s chasing you who isn’t as experienced, they might hit the bump and cursing will ensue. With that in mind, learn to control your character. This is less important because it can be practiced in PvE, but momentum is the name of the game in Destiny and your allies can affect it. Bumping into stuff, especially while in mid air, will seriously alter your course of trajectory.

Adapt

Most people, especially inexperienced players, will do the same thing. They will go to similar spots, use similar strategies, and be consistent in their nature (aggressive vs passive). This is hard to get used to and actually utilize, but the more you play and the more you make yourself aware of this fact, the more you’ll notice it, and eventually, you’ll see yourself making decisions based off what the enemy is likely to do. There’s nothing I can really say, bar examples like a player being aggressive or a team utilizing a certain strategy or area in the game frequently, that will get you to focus on or utilize this point correctly, but just being aware of it should get you thinking.

Learn the maps

PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE THE FUCK YOU ARE. It’s a little more difficult because the radar isn’t terrain/map based, but just keep playing, and you’ll learn all about the maps. This can be a very general point, or an extremely specific series of information. I’m not going to take the latter point because we’d be here all day. Each individual map can be broken down, scrutinized, and discussed in a fuckload of different ways, so I’m going to list out important, general things, about maps. Besides learning all of them to the point where you can visibly recreate it in your mind, and I’m talking down to every corner, nook, and cranny, learn about:

Spawns: Where can I spawn. Where am relative to my teammates/to the battle. How do I get there? Is there cover nearby? Why am I spawning again, I shouldn’t have died in the first place (joking. everyone dies. eventually).

Where does the enemy spawn (more important at the start). Can I rush to a certain location faster than they can? Can they?

You’ll start to recognize the things as you continue to play.

Traffic Areas: Where do players frequently run to the most? Where is the most fighting going on? Most of the time the center of the map is the answer, but depending on the map and the game, that can change. It also constantly changes in control, so it’s doubly important there. Again, the more you play, the more experience you’ll have with this and with that information, you’ll be able to plan your routes and flanks accordingly and be able to position yourself correctly to give you an advantage.

Heavy Ammo/Vehicles: These are important! While I condone the use of vehicles in PvP (I think it’s slightly unbalanced, especially at the moment since there’s no communication), they are there, so we might as well use them. Learning where they spawn and when they spawn is just as important as learning the rest of the map. Most of the time if you can get your hands on heavy weapons, it’s at least one free kill.

Oh, and a note about heavy ammo: WAIT FOR YOUR FUCKING TEAM TO GET THERE IF THEY’RE NEARBY, SO EVERYONE GETS SOME!! FUCK! Glad we got that out of the way.

Positioning

This ties in learning the maps, but it’s very crucial, therefore I made it it’s own category. Positioning is extremely important in shooters. When you’re protecting an area or when you’re pushing an area, you want to make sure that at all times, or at least when you see red blips on the radar, your in an advantageous position to your enemy. That means having cover nearby, the height advantage (if applicable), head glitching if you’re that kinda douche, and AN ESCAPE ROUTE. Try to keep those things in mind when traversing the map. Can I take cover if I see a sniper or if I get into a firefight and want to regen my shields? Is there a spot where I will have the jump on an enemy if they round that corner? Would being above them, especially if it messes with their radar help me get that jump? Is there a corner I can run around while my ass is being shot at by six enemies? Always be aware of your surroundings and where the best areas to position yourself are. If you want to round a corner but you think a guy with a shotgun is sitting on the other side are you going to round it while hugging the corner, or are you going to round it on the outside? The outside ya dunce. Their shotgun will be ineffective because you’re placing yourself at an extended range, while still checking what’s around that corner.

ONE KEY NOTE: Keep in mind where your allies are, and try not to all funnel through a narrow location. If a voidwalker warlock has his super, well, yeah… THAT, and the fact that it’s really fucking frustrating when you’re trying to retreat and a bunch of your allies are touching your butt with the barrels of their guns, then you end up dying because you couldn’t get passed all the bodies.

Take advantage of advantages

And retreat when you have to. Don’t take fights that you wont win. Is your shield not fully recovered? Is there cover nearby? Then why the fuck did you just stay and die for that firefight? If you know you can’t win something, don’t get yourself involved. Be patient and wait until you have the advantage or are at least on even footing. Never rush into something if you’re not prepared and learn when to retreat. See a golden gun? Why even try to have a firefight with them? With that in mind, take advantage of opportunities. You don’t have to wait for the perfect time to super. For anyone who plays league the same applies with summoner spells. They have long cooldowns, and when I first started playing, I always wanted to save them for the perfect time. As I progressed, I learned that I shouldn’t necessarily be using them more or less often, but earlier, to completely prevent the situation that I would have been put in. Even if you end up only getting one kill, if your super was the only way to survive, it’s one kill more your team has, and one kill less the enemy does. Of course, the more you play and learn about enemy positioning, the better situations you’ll find yourself using them in.

There are probably quite a few more strategical tips I could provide that I’m not thinking of right now. If any come to mind, I’ll be sure to edit them in. If any are provided in the comments that are good, I’ll also edit them in and provide credit. Now, to the mechanical part.

Mechanical Tips (This assumes you know how to practice aiming: PLAY THE FUCKING GAME)

Aim for the head

Easy as that. Hit. The. Head. You do more damage, you down them faster. Other shooters, this isn’t as important, but in Destiny aiming for the head nets you a hefty advantage, and with the way auto-aim works in this game, it’s almost ideal to always hit the head. If you’re running around with a shotgun or fusion rifle this doesn’t apply, but if you’re one of the many AR users, headshots are something you should start embracing now. And for snipers, practice this as well. You literally kill your opponent two times faster.

RADAR

LOOK AT IT! SERIOUSLY! Pay attention to your radar. It is your best friend, it is your lover. This shit will make or break a player. We can all say we look at it, but it’s how often we can look it, it’s how well we can stare in front of us and attune our minds to immediately recognize and spot a flash of red without constantly staring at it. That latter part comes with practice, but the former can and should be practiced. Be aware of its existence. Check it every few seconds. Use it to track opponents movements through walls. It goes great with learning the maps because once you do, you can use your radar to predict enemy positioning. To those who play league, again, it’s similar to the minimap there. A good way that I practiced it there was every time I killed a minion I glanced at the map. Eventually, I don’t follow that pattern and I’ll subconsciously be looking at it without it disturbing my current play. Practice it, become aware of it, and drill it into your mind so much that it’s second nature to the point where you aren’t consciously thinking of doing it.

Blink

At first, I did not embrace this ability. But after using it for 5-10 games, you become accustomed to its use and by god that skill is amazing in PvP. The body of your player literally teleports. This is not something most players are accustomed to and because it’s very difficult for them to follow any evidence of trajectory you leave before blinking, once you get used to it, it gives you the positioning edge. They have to relocate you while you already know where they are. But again, it must be practiced, because it can be just as disorienting for you as it is for them. Stick it on, do poorly for a few games with it, and again, make it second nature like the radar and you’ll find yourself using it to outplay enemies and to escape left and right. Happened upon a disadvantageous firefight? Blink to the right around the corner. I also think, and I’m not exactly sure, but blink takes advantage of the enemies FoV in Destiny. For Titans, just keep on being Titans and not giving a shit, because you’re Titans.

MOVE

I know I talked a lot about taking it slow and patience, but you also have to move. The longer you stay in a spot the easier it is for an opponent to predict where you are and what you’re going to do.

Cancel Reload animation

Small thing, but can save your life in certain circumstances. You’ll notice on some guns, and this is a common theme in all FPSs, that when you reload sometimes your ammo counter will reset before the gun animation does. AS SOON AS IT DOES, YOU ARE FINISHED RELOADING, and you can cancel the reload by sprinting a step forward. Your gun will stop the animation, you will be ready to shoot sooner, and you’ll have a full fresh clip. Be careful not to cancel too early or you fuck up the whole thing.

Practice

Really at the end of the day, every mechanical thing you can do can only consistently be done well if you practice. When I first started plays FPSs, I didn’t follow a guide. I just played and played and played and recognized strategies and game mechanics that gave advantages. I then started practicing those and I saw improvement. You don’t need a guide to get better at something. Just practice it while being aware of what you’re doing and you’ll notice patterns that correlate with performance. Find the positive ones and keep at them. I just made a guide to make people who want to get better more aware of what they can do to get better. I have given a lot of advice to a lot of friends over the time I’ve played and I’ve visibly seen them improve, and I’m happy, not just because that kid with the .3 k/d is finally going positive and you don’t have to worry about them dragging your team down, but that they feel like they’re contributing something positive to the team. Of course, if you’re just here to have fun and don’t give a shit, well, you didn’t get this far. Hell, I bet most of you didn’t get this far (I wouldn’t have).

Added stuff that I forgot and am too lazy to reorganize into categories:

1.) Sliding is amazing. The quick burst of speed and your critical points (the head) being in a lower area can save your life 9 times out of 10. It’s also amazing offensively if you’re using a shotgun/fast charging fusion rifle or want to get the jump on a person around the corner.

2.) Crouching REMOVES YOU from radar. However, crouching does not permanently remove you. If you are crouching in a single place, you will still occasionally pop back up every second or so for only a millisecond. When you are crouch walking, it blinks just a little bit faster. However, it’s an excellent way to confuse people that only brazenly watch their radars. If they see that your red indicator has suddenly disappeared, they will assume you have already left when you’re just around the corner. Again, it doesn’t permanently take you off radar when you crouch, but it is long enough to save yourself from a 6v1 and winning it (personal experience).

From: ToFurkie

I do enjoy the sliding part immensely, and it is very useful for getting around that corner at the last second with no health.

TL;DR: If there’s one piece of universal advice I could give to someone who wants to get better at a shooter, it’d be take it slow and be patient. Literally stop sprinting. You can revolve any strategy or mechanic around that idea and see it improve, because as soon as you slow down you start becoming more aware of everything. Even if you’re a good player and you have a bad game or string of games, just take it slow and you’ll catch right back up. Oh and when you get in a firefight, don’t fucking stand still. Move back and forth. Shake that bun. But for those who want a concise list:

Slow the fuck down

Stay on your side of the fucking map

Learn the terrain and the maps to very specific points

Adapt to your opponent, especially if they become predictable

Be aware of your players body and position it correctly

Don’t take fights where a disadvantage is already present. Retreat when you have to and don’t be a hero

Aim for the head

LOOK AT YOUR GODDAMN RADAR

Learn how to blink if you’re not a titan

Move your body. Never stay in one spot for too long and never stand still if you can afford too in a firefight

BE PATIENT and don’t rush. I know I just said move but that’s different than rushing

Play the game! AND HAVE FUN! AND DO IT WITH FRIENDS!! It’s better than running solo

Thanks for reading if you did. I really do hope this helps whoever reads it, or at least makes them aware of some points. I know I forgot some important shit, but I will add it if I’m reminded and apologies for any disorganization. I’ve never made a post like this before. One more note: If you want to improve you need to able to put the time in. If you can’t, then you’re not going to improve. Not everyone plays this game to win and not everyone has the time, so to casual gamers, just keep on being you and having fun and not caring what other people think. And don’t let the 12 year olds get to you if you opt into chat. They all blow anyways.